Your reports on activities and accomplishments help us tell the volunteer story and improve event coordination. Track It Forward also provides you with a record of your volunteering and a way to view other volunteer reports. Volunteer coordinators can track on behalf of their groups.

Cleanup & Greening Events

Annual Events

Oakland Public Works coordinates two city-wide volunteer events each year involving thousands of participants. Groups and individuals of all ages and abilities are invited to join cleanup and habitat restoration projects at creeks, parks, and neighborhood sites throughout Oakland. All tools are provided.

Earth Day is typically held the third Saturday in April. Mark your calendar for Saturday,April 21, 2018! In 2017 over 2,600 volunteers pitched in more than 8,500 hours at ninety-two sites across Oakland. Volunteers removed 300 cubic yards of trash and more than 600 cubic yards of green waste. In total, over the debris removed is enough to fill over 5,000 thirty-five gallon garbage cans! Learn more and register at www.oaklandearthday.org.

Creek to Bay Day is held the third Saturday in September. Mark your calendar for Saturday,September 15, 2018! In 2016, over 1,700 volunteers removed 162 cubic yards of trash and 253 cubic yards of invasive weeds from Oakland's creeks, shoreline, and streets. Statewide, 58,452 volunteers prevented over 300,000 pounds of trash from entering inland waterways and oceans. Learn more and register at www.oaklandcreektobay.org.

We also support one-time community cleanups. If you would like to host one, please contact us at adoptaspot@oaklandnet.com or (510) 238-7630. We may be able to provide you with tools, post-event debris collection services, and other logistical support.

See volunteers in action from our 2015 events slideshow:

Litter Container Mosaics & Murals

Oakland volunteers add beauty and character to the streets by adopting and adorning city-owned litter containers with tile mosaics and painted murals. See http://oaklandwiki.org/Mosaic_Tile_Trash_Cans for examples of some of these projects.

If you would like to adopt a litter container or paint a mural on a utility box or other public space, please complete the Adopt a Spot form (do not use Explorer for this form, works best with Google Chrome) with a description or drawing of the art to be installed. Once your application is approved you can begin work on the project. Here is a video that shows you how it's done http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCL4I7shWx8.

Adopt a Storm Drain

Clear the Drain Before the Rain

Hundreds of volunteers across Oakland have adopted storm drains to help their neighborhoods prepare for rainstorms. It doesn't take much to keep a storm drain clear. A little volunteer effort goes a long way in helping Public Works maintain over 7,500 storm drains to reduce flooding and prevent pollution of our waterways. When you sign up to Adopt a Drain, you become eligible to borrow City tools and supplies, and you will receive the City's rain alert notifications.

News & Events

Join the Board: Keep Oakland Beautiful (KOB) is a non-profit partner organization that works with the City of Oakland towards a clean, green, and litter free city. KOB is recruiting board members. Visit http://keepoaklandbeautiful.org/ for more information and application materials. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and preference will be given to those received by November 6, 2017.

Daffodil Days: Every fall, Keep Oakland Beautiful provides free daffodil bulbs to volunteers willing to plant and maintain them in visible public property locations in Oakland. Plantings should be pre-approved by the land owner. Applications are due by November 1. Daffodils and poppy seeds will be distributed to approved applicants on Saturday, November 11, between 8AM-10AM at the Arroyo Viejo Park Amphitheater, 7701 Krause Ave, Oakland, CA 94605 (at 77th and Krause). Click here for more information and to access the application.

Small Grant Program: Small grants up to $800 are distributed by KOB to volunteers on a competitive basis for projects that clean and green Oakland parks, creeks, streets, and other projects in the public right of way. Click here for more information.

Paint the Town! Oakland's New Street Mural ProgramOakland Department of Transportation is accepting applications through November 30, 2017 for temporary street murals. Streets murals can brighten and represent a neighborhood, strengthen community spirit, and reduce speeding traffic. Visit https://www.oaklandca.gov/services/dot/paint-the-town for more information and to apply.

Oakland Adopt a Spot Program receives the Northern California APWA 2013 Sustainability Practices AwardThe Adopt a Spot Program received the 2013 Sustainability Practices Award from the Northern California Chapter of the American Public Works Association. This award is given to "individuals, teams or organization that have made an outstanding contribution to promote sustainability in public works."

We thank the many individual volunteers, neighborhood groups, civic organizations and businesses who are cleaning, greening and beautifying adopted spots around Oakland. These efforts contribute to a cleaner, healthier, more beautiful, livable and sustainable City. Together, through Adopt a Spot, we're building community, raising environmental consciousness and participation, improving the quality of life in Oakland while also supporting broader regional and global environmental initiatives.

Accessibility Information

The City of Oakland Public Works offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities. We encourage individuals with all abilities to volunteer. Some volunteer opportunities may be located in areas without a designated path of travel and may require significant physical exertion.

To obtain accessibility information or to request a sign language interpreter or any other disability-related accommodation, please contact adoptaspot@oaklandnet.com or call (510) 238-7630, or TTY (510) 238-3254 at least three business days in advance.